


Promises

by LavenderLoveLive



Category: Room of Swords (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Kodya is stressed, M/M, strawbarrow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28863696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderLoveLive/pseuds/LavenderLoveLive
Summary: The timer was nearly up and they were out of time. Shadow Hour would be here any second. They could take care of resetting Gyrus and completing the sword in the next voyage. This was Kodya's responsibility and he would see it through.He could go through with it, right?
Relationships: Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic
Comments: 1
Kudos: 42





	Promises

_  
“Tori, don’t do this! We only have moments before the shadow hour begins and we lose our ability to reset!”_

_“Nothing ye say will grant ye the right to commit murder!”_

_“We also want to save Gyrus, but he can only come to the Room of Swords if he’s a blank slate. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but we’re just trying to protect everyone!”_

_“Please… Stop…”_

_“Kodya… Nephthys… The thing that happened to you guys… It was my fault, wasn’t it?”_

_“I can’t remember what happened… But I don’t want to cause you any more trouble…” Gyrus held up the broken sword. “Here. Take it and reset without me.”_

_“Just go easy on me next time around, okay?” Gyrus flashed Kodya a pained, charming smile that cut through his heart. “I’m pretty pathetic after all…”_

_“Gyrus…?” Tori lowered her sword._

_“Kid…”_

_“Kodya, what are you waiting for?!” Nephthys pleaded. “We have to go now!”_

_Why couldn’t he just do it? This had been his idea after all._

_The timer was barely visible._

_He couldn’t make this decision -- not like this -- he didn’t have enough time._

_“Nephthys, just reset! We’ll fuse the sword in the next voyage.”_

_“But--?!”_

_“Just do it! Have one of the other two use the other broken half!” Kodya ordered._

_And he took the leap of faith._

_\---_

_Gyrus thought he’d be used to waking up on the ship between voyages by now, but it was still jarring to wake up in a completely different space. He sat up quickly recognizing the door to the command room in front of him._

_He had a chance to get some answers._

_Gyrus ran through the doors, scanning the room for any signs of life. “Captain Don?”_

_A dark laugh echoed from the far side of the room. “You’re looking for Captain Don? Sorry. I’m the only one here now.”_

_“...Who are you?”_

_“Have you put it together yet?” A hooded figure stepped out of the shadows. “Or are you still afraid of the answer?”_

_The figure peeled back his hood, revealing -- himself._

_“You’re--!!” Gyrus gasped, stepping back, before shooting pain shot through his stomach. He doubled over, blood on his hands._

_The other him frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder and speaking quickly. “We don’t have much time -- I can offer you information. Come back when you’re ready. And be careful who you trust out there. I don’t know who’s still on your side.”_

_Gyrus tried to stand but doubled over in pain again. “Wait--I don’t understand--”_

_“It’s okay.” The other him stood and turned around. “If you find Kodya, tell him ‘It’s not over.’  He’ll help you.”_

_“But--!”_

_And everything went white._

\---

**“Welcome. Hopelessly Lost Souls.”**

**VOYAGE 73**

\---

Bracing himself, Kodya ripped out the sword, searching his pockets for medicine. As his hand closed on some, he felt a peck on his cheek and the all too familiar sensation of Nephthys’ healing powers.

Kodya let out a sigh of relief as his wounds closed. “Thanks, Neph.”

His normally cheery companion was frowning in front of him. “Kodya, was it a good idea to risk the sword piece on Tori? What if it didn’t work?”

“It’s been working on Gyrus.” Kodya stood up, dusting off his hands. “Speaking of Red, she should have reset off in that direction.” He pointed out in the distance and started walking. “Go help her and I’ll meet you back here once I meet up with Gyrus -- You should probably pick up Sylvia too, Red and Gyrus won’t be happy if we forget about her.”

Nephthys grabbed his hand, stopping him. “Kody… Are you sure you are up for this? I can do it if it’s too much for you--”

Kodya could sense her anxiety and stress and fear. He didn't need to feel that right now. He jerked his hand away. This was his responsibility. 

“...You better get going before she bleeds out. I’ll meet you back here.” And he left through the wasteland to find Gyrus.

He had hesitated before, but he needed to see this through now.

The kid still looked like a mess when he got there -- still bursting at the seams with ruin energy and he was still in the middle of bandaging his stomach when Kodya arrived. 

And Kodya was oddly relieved to see Gyrus sitting there. Still aware, running on borrowed time. The broken sword sitting next to him in the dirt glistened in the sunlight, almost menacingly.

The kid said something, but it didn’t register. All Kodya could feel was the same indecision as he had at the end of the last voyage creeping up into his mind. It paralyzed him. He knew how important the swords were. He knew how dangerous Gyrus was. He knew exactly what had happened before. It was his suggestion to bring him back as a blank slate.

...So why was this so difficult?!

“Kodya?” Gyrus called out again, sitting on the ground cross-legged. “Why did you…?” 

Kodya felt his hands shaking as he stared Gyrus down, unable to force himself to go through with it. He couldn't even bring himself to take another step forward. Instead, he turned around and kicked the nearest rock on the ground. 

“I’m such an idiot!” He swore, kicking another stone, keeping his back to Gyrus. He knew that seeing him would only make him hesitate even more. The thought of him going back to square one… not recognizing him… letting him be used by the rest of the Room of Swords… it was worse than stabbing himself with the boss sword every voyage. 

But it was the only way he could come home. So why couldn’t Kodya just do this? 

He heard Gyrus get up from the ground and walk in his direction.

“Kodya…” He began, uncertainty in his voice. “It’s… it’s not over?”

_**It’s not over.** _

Kodya had trouble catching his breath. He had been asking for a sign earlier... hadn’t he? He looked over his shoulder, searching Gyrus’ eyes. He needed to know.

“Why did you say that?”

Gyrus scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, looking down at the ground. “I--It’s hard to explain?”

Kodya turned around completely, heart racing. “Try me.”

Gyrus took a nervous step back. “I-In between voyages, I sometimes have these--visions? I guess? In this last one -- I saw, well, me. A different me. He said to tell you that.” He buried his face in his hands. “I was probably just hallucinating or something--”

Kodya groaned, sitting down on the ground running his hands through his hair. Was that the black box he had written about? Why couldn’t Gyrus just have explained things to him completely instead of in code? Maybe Gyrus really had been going mad and this was just the beginning of it for this version of him.

Gyrus sat down across from him, still looking anxious. “...Can I help?” 

Kodya opened one eye, still gripping his hair. “You want to help me to decide whether or not to wipe your memories?”

“I meant what I said in the last voyage.” Gyrus shrugged, looking down at the ground, cheeks flushing red slightly. “You’ve done so much to help me. I really don’t want to cause you any more trouble. Especially if the old me did a bunch of bad stuff.”

Kodya dropped his arms and sighed.

Why did Gyrus have to be so _good_?

This was already hell… talking about it couldn’t make it any worse. 

“Alright, kid. Why not? How do you suggest we start this lovely conversation?”

Gyrus shrugged, a stupid, sweet, innocent expression on his face. “Pros and cons?”

Kodya face palmed. “A pros and cons list. Are you serious?” He repeated. 

Gyrus seemed unbothered as he held up a finger. “Pro: I obviously did something really bad, so resetting me makes everyone in the Room of Swords feel safer, right?”

“There are a lot of people who don’t want you back at all. This was the only way to appease them.” Kodya nodded. He’d had this conversation before. He knew the pros. Gyrus could come back to the Room of Swords. They could get back the lost swords. They could all go home. They could control the information Gyrus had access to. And… Maybe Gyrus wouldn’t have a chance to connect with the shadows if he was under supervision. 

“Okay, and what are the cons?” Gyrus held up his other hand. “I have to restart training so I can be helpful on missions.”

“...Right.” Kodya started, feeling the knife twisting in his stomach. The cons were Gyrus would wake up not knowing who he was. That Gyrus would be used just for his powers in the Room of Swords by people who hated him. Kodya doubted that many people would be kind to Gyrus, even if he was a blank slate. There was still too much hurt from the incident.

That and even though Kodya was appointed his caretaker… they probably couldn’t spend much time together...

_Obviously we would discourage any… close contact._

“...But hey training is easy enough to redo, right?" Gyrus chuckled, rubbing his neck. "You’d probably have fun throwing me in monster pits again anyway.”

Kodya clenched his fists. 

“So I mean…” Gyrus picked up the broken sword. “I don’t want to lose my memories, but if it’s easier and safer for you…” He extended the sword in his direction. “Of course I’d be willing to--”

Kodya glared down at the sword, everything twisting inside. He felt like the pressure was going to tear him apart.

This wasn’t right!! Gyrus was good! Kodya _knew_ he was a good person! He could feel it. Kodya knew all of the atrocities Gyrus committed weren’t Gyrus--it was his inner demons--the shadows! Gyrus always put himself at risk for others. Betraying the Room of Swords for no reason isn’t something Gyrus would do.

Kodya still believed in him.

“I can’t do it.” He flopped back on the ground, staring up at the sky. At the admission, it felt like a weight lifted off his chest. He couldn’t do it. “After all of this time-- _somehow_ I still trust you…”

But with the weight gone, a blanket of melancholy settled over him. Everyone had been right about him all along. He was still wrapped around Gyrus’ finger, wasn’t he? All of the work he had done the past two years, trying to pay for everything Gyrus did, was all going to be thrown away.

They sat quietly for a few minutes before Gyrus spoke up. “So… now what?”

“Good question.” Kodya sighed, sitting back up. Making plans wasn’t Kodya’s strongest point. They couldn't exactly just live in this realm. Eventually they'd send more scouts to see why he hadn't returned yet. But, while he was banished, Gyrus had been living outside of the Room of Swords for over a year. 

Kodya looked over at the kid, searching his eyes for the Gyrus he used to know. Gyrus would know what to do. 

And he said that he could come back… if Kodya kept his promise.

“...Two years ago, you had mentioned to me there was a way for you to recover your memories if you were ever reset… I promised I would help, but…” Kodya shifted uneasily in the guilt. “I didn’t want to keep that promise at first.”

“Why not?” Gyrus asked, turning his head to the side.

“--Because…” The frustration rose again. “Argh, you were keeping things from me!! When things started getting bad, you wouldn’t tell me what was wrong even though I knew something was going on. I just want things to be different.” 

The hurt and betrayal were still raw. He didn’t want to go back to that wall being between them. That was probably the thing he was most scared of Gyrus remembering. Even though it was hard to be here with Gyrus when he had no memory of their time together, at least this Gyrus was open with him. They trusted each other completely. Kodya selfishly didn't want to give that up.

He closed his eyes. “...I just wish you were open with me.”

“...Well what if I promise now to tell you once my memories are back?” Gyrus rubbed his chin. “A promise for keeping a promise?”

Kodya laughed sarcastically. If only it were that easy. “You might change your mind when you remember everything.”

Gyrus shrugged. “Well if you don’t want to reset me, I don’t think we’re left with many other options."

\---

Nephthys ran quickly through the wasteland, relying on her intuition to guide her. She knew Tori only had so much time before she would succumb to her wounds and she knew they needed the other sword piece -- but she was stressed.

Kodya shouldn't have gone to get Gyrus alone. Worry for her friend stirred through her. He was so good at pretending like this wasn't hard for him. She came to support him, but he had run off alone.

She just hoped he knew what he was doing. The last thing she wanted was for him to be hurt anymore by this. 

If only she could have foreseen everything before it went so wrong.

She shook her head, running more quickly spying a figure crumbled on the ground ahead. The sooner she gathered Tori and Sylvia, the sooner she could get back to Kodya and help him. After all, without the whole sword, it wasn't like they could go anywhere.

Tori was pale and nearly unconscious when Nephthys reached her. Nephthys removed the sword and healed the knight.

“Priestess?” Tori coughed and her eyelids fluttered open. “What happened to the shadows?”

Amazing to think that a broken boss sword still had the same power between voyages as a full boss sword.

“And the sky is back to normal!” Tori exclaimed, sitting up quickly.

Nephthys smiled. “This is what Kodya and I were trying to tell you. We've entered a new voyage.” She extended her hand. “I’ll explain everything, but first we need to find Sylvia.”

Tori had all of the standard questions rookies had about resetting and the swords. Nephthys filled her in on them as best as she could as they traveled toward the area Tori first remembered meeting Sylvia. 

“And what of Gyrus and the huntsman?” She asked eventually. “Where are they now?”

“Kodya said to meet back up at our camp,” Nephthys explained, frowning again. “He went to find Gyrus.” 

Tori’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, her hand gripping the sword on her belt. “So he can kill him?”

Nephthys sighed, looking down at her hands. “...It’s not so simple, Tori.”

The knight crossed her arms. “Ye promised an explanation. What has Gyrus done to deserve such a fate? He has been nothing but a steadfast and true companion in this strange place.”

“That’s what we all thought at first too,” Nephthys looked her in the eyes, hoping the other woman could see her sincerity. "But he betrayed us, Tori. He stole almost all of our swords and killed many of our friends. He may seem nice now, but he's dangerous. In order for him to come back to the Room of Swords he _needs_ to be a clean state. It's the only way to ensure everyone's safety."

Was it the only way though? Nephthys suddenly wasn't sure. Her senses were firing off all over the place and she wasn't sure what was real and what was her just hoping for another solution for Kodya. Could there be a future where they don't reset him? She didn't know. The second they saw Gyrus had access to a sword, it would all be over.

Tori looked out into the distance, as if she was considering going off on her own, but pressed onward instead. “Let us find Sylvia and hurry back.”

Reuniting with Sylvia and convincing her to come with them was quick work with food to offer, and before long, Nephthys was guiding them back in the direction of camp. But her senses were pulling her in a different direction. A cave?

Oh, Kody. What now?

It took some searching but she found the cave that her senses were pulling her towards. As the three women neared the entrance, Kodya stepped out, blocking the entrance.

“Where is Gyrus?” Tori demanded before Nephthys could gather her thoughts and read the situation.

“He’s inside,” Kodya answered stiffly, arms crossed, avoiding eye contact with Nephthys.

Tori rested a hand on her sword. “Is he--?”

“He’s fine,” Kodya said, glancing at Nephthys for the first time with a hint of an apology in his eyes. "See for yourself." He stepped aside for Tori to enter.

Tori and Sylvia walked into the cave and Nephthys peered in over Kodya’s shoulder to see Gyrus meditating in the corner. Was it her imagination or was his hair slightly longer than it had been before?

“Kodya, what’s going on?” Nephthys asked quietly. 

“...He promised answers.” He shrugged, avoiding her eyes again. “So I’m going to see what he has to say once he's back.”

“You’re--” Nephthys couldn’t believe it. “Kodya you’re helping _restore_ his memories? Are you crazy?!?”

That was the opposite of what they should be doing!

Kodya clenched his fists facing her. “Maybe I am!”

“What’s to stop him from killing us too?” Nephthys looked at the scar on Kodya's face. "You barely made it out of the incident--"

“He could've killed me before and didn't!”

“Kodya, he can’t go back to the Room of Swords like this. They know he’s in this realm. If he had gone back even as he was, they would have rioted to have him reset. What’s your plan?”

He looked away. “I’ll figure it out.”

She sighed, covering her face. “Kody, I want to help but this is reckless. What’s the harm in resetting him? He’ll only lose a few months of memories, that’s hardly anything compared to before.”

“Are you really okay with bringing him back just to be a weapon? Do you really think that anyone in the Room of Swords will actually be okay with him being back? Do you think that Ragan or Xinju will be okay being under the same roof? Ragan doesn’t even trust _us_ still.”

“Ragan doesn’t blame you for the incident--”

Kodya’s eyes narrowed. “She still hates me for being close to him though. She might act cordially in front of everyone, but I know how people feel, Neph.”

“You gave everyone your word, Kodya.” Nephthys pleaded. “I’m just trying to help you keep it.”

“Yeah well, I made other promises too.” Kodya turned around to face the cave again, his face softening. “If your senses think that this is a bad idea, then go ahead and try to stop me. But I’m giving him a chance.”

\----

Gyrus had gone through the process of completing the black box a handful of times. There had always been somewhat of an adjustment period, but in previous experiences, he hadn’t gone through nearly two months after being reset before completing it again. So it was a bit odd to reawaken and remember _not_ remembering for so long. 

He opened his eyes and his eyes immediately focused on the edge of Kodya’s boss sword pointed in his face and he realized his hands were bound behind his back. Kodya and Nephthys stood in front of him with Tori and Sylvia hovering anxiously behind. Did they really think his hands being bound would be enough to stop him if he really wanted to pull something?

“Gyrus?” Kodya asked cautiously.

Kodya’s voice was so refreshing to hear. Despite the distrust on his face, Gyrus was beyond happy to see him again. And his _hair!_ It had gotten so long. 

Gyrus' heart was warm that Kodya still had kept his promise, even if it had taken a while for Kodya to commit to it. And honestly, Gyrus couldn't blame him for not being sure after everything. He could only imagine the things everyone in the Room of Swords had been telling Kodya about him for all this time.

As great as it was to be back, Gyrus still couldn’t help but tease Kodya, just a little. “Oh so no more ‘kid’?”

Kodya’s face flushed a satisfying shade of pink before he readjusted his grip on the sword. His guard was up. 

“You promised an explanation.”

Gyrus frowned. He had hadn’t he? That had been a bit naive of himself to do. But at the same time... he was tired of keeping secrets. And Kodya had kept his promise after all this time. He still trusted him and was still willing to hear him out. Would it really be terrible if he kept his promise in return?

He sighed. “If I tell you everything -- you know this means you can’t return to the Room of Swords, right?”

Gyrus didn’t want him returning to the Room of Swords either way, not with Don there. He had come way too close to losing Kodya and he wasn’t going to do that again. What if he couldn’t make it back there in time the next time Don tried to make a move?

“No vague answers.” Kodya pressed, narrowing his eyes. “Tell me why we couldn't go back.”

“Because you’ll be in danger if you know the truth.”

“Gyrus, I have risked _everything_ for you.” Kodya ran a hand through his hair. “If you ever truly cared about me, stop dancing around the 'truth' and just _explain_!”

Kodya’s voice echoed through the cave and silence fell over the group. Nephthys had a hand placed on Kodya’s shoulder and Tori and Sylvia watched intently from the sidelines.

Guilt surged through Gyrus and he frowned, looking down at the ground. He had never meant to cause Kodya this much grief. “...I was trying to protect you. I thought maybe that once my plans all came together I could explain -- but now…” He sighed, there was so much to explain. “Don isn’t what you think. If he knows you know what I do, he’ll take you out.”

"And what do you know that we don't?" Kodya asked. “Why did you try to kill him?”

“Because, if I hadn’t attacked him in the Room of Swords that night he would’ve killed you.” Gyrus looked up into his eyes, trying not to think of the image Masiosare had shown him of Don murdering Kodya. The pain of that memory still ached. “He can use the swords to absorb people’s abilities. He wanted yours to control everyone else. With half of the swords completed and me on the run, he was ready to make his move. The Room of Swords is Don’s prison. It is meant to contain him. But absorbing the swords and our friends' powers would have made him nearly unbeatable so I prevented that.”

It was actually Tori who spoke up next. “I don’t understand. Ye say this is some man's prison, but the voice in the sky said we need to complete the Room of Swords to go home.”

Gyrus looked over at her. “What if I told you the Room of Swords was already completed?” 

Kodya had lowered his sword at some point as the four of them erupted into different levels of confusion. Questions came from all of them left and right. Gyrus sighed. Alastair really was better at explaining everything than he was. 

“Okay, let me start again from the beginning this time."

And so Gyrus explained everything, from the contracts, to the shadows, to Don, to the Room of Swords. Somewhere in the conversation they trusted him enough to untie him and it felt good to not be holding these secrets back anymore. 

Tori and Sylvia seemed to have no problems absorbing the information, but Kodya and Nephthys were quiet and unreadable until the end of his tale.

They exchanged glances before Kodya turned back to him.

The edge was gone and when he looked Gyrus in the eyes, it was confident and trusting. “So, if we can’t go back to the Room of Swords, what now?”

Gyrus had to fight back the relieved smile that wanted to break out onto his face. “If I get the right parts and the plans from the journal I left you, we don’t need the Room of Swords to travel between realms at all. We’ll be able to link up with my other allies someplace safe, where we can figure out our next move.”

“But the journal is back in our room -- and we can’t just waltz into the Room of Swords with you like this now. They'll recognize immediately that you haven't been reset."

Nephthys hummed, placing a hand on her chin. “...Even if we had reset you, I’m sure they would want warning before we brought you back in. We can complete the sword, go back with Tori and Sylvia, get what we need, then say we’re coming back to pick you up at the start of the next voyage.”

Gyrus nodded. “It would work... Eventually, they’ll figure out you’re not coming back, but by then we’ll be long gone.”

\---

_  
Gyrus and Kodya hung back as the three women walked ahead toward the door to the Room of Swords._

_“Kodya… I’m sorry for the hell I’ve put you through. I know it doesn’t help now, but… I really did always want to tell you everything.” He looked down at the ground as they walked. “I was just… I didn’t want anything to happen to you because of me. From Don or from the Shadows. I know things may never be the same between us again, but… I hope maybe someday you can forgive me.”_

_Kodya stopped, his long hair covering his face. Gyrus stopped as well, nerves buzzing through him._

_“I’m sorry that it took me so long to trust you too. But...maybe from now on, you can stop thinking like you have to do everything all alone.” Kodya looked up, a softness in his expression Gyrus hadn’t seen in a long time. He extended his hand. “You’ve got someone by your side.”_

_It was the first time since Gyrus had been forced to leave the Room of Swords he had felt at peace._

_"Promise?"_

_"I promise."_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone!


End file.
